# High humidity in humidor



## daniels1117 (Apr 23, 2013)

I'm also trying to get my humidor to stabilize. I have the xikar crystal brick attached to the lid and have been using a gel jar on and off. For the last week or so I've been pretty stable at approx 72*/71%rh. I just checked my digital hygrometer about 10ins ago and saw my temp at 77 and RH at 78. I quickly removed my humidifier, cause I've read this helps lower humidity. I also took all my newly purchase smokes (bought 6 sticks yesterday) out of the cello. My assumption is that having all my cigars naked will help with the absorbing of humidity inside the humidor. Ideally I'd like to keep approx 30+ sticks in my humidor at all times and get my RH down to around 67. Any suggestions? I have the brick xikar humidifier, a small water pillow, and 2 oz gel jar. I've been using distiller water in the humidifier and jar (I don't use them all inside my humidor as I imagine that would be way overkill on RH). 


Do most digital hygrometers need to be calibrated? It's less than a month old. I've gotten kind of crazy about constantly checking my temps and RH. I just want to protect my investment as I'm sure we all do. Any thoughts, suggestions, advice would be greatly appreciated. 

PS I just joined the forums today and this place is a smokers paradise. Loving the responses and vast archives of info on everything CIGARS!!


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## Mante (Dec 25, 2009)

What is the ambient RH? If it is lower than in the humidor then just leave it open for a while to lower the internal RH. Did you season that humidor?

Yes even digital devices should be calibrated or at least checked if unable to be "reset".

If all else fails put a DRY sponge in there for 48 hours & see what happens.

Another thought is this: If your humidor is not one where you can read the RH from the outside then try something & leave it closed for 12 hours, constantly opening it to view your readings will just upset the whole process & frustrate you more. Removing the cello will not help & indeed if your cigars are over humidified will cause high RH readings in the short term. I hope this helps.


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## daniels1117 (Apr 23, 2013)

Well I live in az so we have next to 0 ambient humidity. On the subject of opening to check readings... It's a glass top humidor so I can read my hygrometer without having to open the top. In Arizona during the summer we get crazy high temps, 115 degrees F is a daily occurrence. 

It's been a few hours since I removed my gel jar and humidifier and I'm getting stable RH readings at around 70-72%. The percentage is all good and well but I'm concerned once I put the humidifier back in the RH will shoot back up.

Yes I did season the humidor when I received it back from sitting in storage for 2 years. However I was a rookie at best when I did the seasoning so I'm not sure if a re-seasoning would be necessary or not. My sticks have been burning / smoking well and to the touch they are firm but not dry, slight "give" when squeezing the foot gently.

The digital hygrometer has a reset function but what difference does that make if the readings are off? The analog hygrometer is attached to the outside of the box and compared to the digital readings it's waaaaay off. 

For the last two weeks or so my temp and RH were stable, it seems the high RH has just started since the other day when I added 6 new sticks from cigar king to my humidor. I suppose it's possible they could have been over humidified but I buy almost all my singles there and didn't have the issue before. All there sticks are housed in a giant state of the art walk in humidor. I guess I will just continue to monitor the RH and leave the humidifier out overnight and see what happens... Think that will be a possible short term solution?? I just panicked a bit when I saw high temp and high humidity. Could just be over reacting to a random trading due to weather conditions or something...


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## A.McSmoke (Jan 9, 2013)

If the rH just spiked after adding the 6 new cigars, most likely those sticks were really wet, which is kind of common with mail ordered cigars.

You should probably look into getting a humidification device this is able to absorb humidity as well to prevent this from happening when adding a large amount of cigars, or when AZ heat is wreaking havoc. Not sure where you have your humi, but since it's a glass top, it'll be better to place it in a cabinet or someplace dim away from sunlight.

I know, it kind of defeats the purpose of a glasstop, but your cigars will thank you.


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## daniels1117 (Apr 23, 2013)

Well I left the humidifier out for about 12 hours now humidity is stable around 69% should I just leave the humidifier out for now? Or will that ruin my sticks?


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## daniels1117 (Apr 23, 2013)

So my readings are now 74*/69%rh without any humidification device in my humidor. Should I put a gel jar / water pillow / humidifier back in?


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## fiddlegrin (Feb 8, 2009)

Most Vets would say "please do not mix your humidification mediums".

Pick one :nod:

I think we should check with member "Tritones". Mike lives in Az. too and he will have nothing but useful advice for you to consider.

Best wishes, _Dafiddla
_P.S. I personally would get some 65% heartfelt beads and use only them.


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## piperdown (Jul 19, 2009)

The humidity devices you have can only release humidity, they will not absorb it if you get new cigars that are too wet.
As 'Da Fiddla' indicated, get some HF beads or Boveda packs or HCM. Something that will both give off humidity and absorb it.


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## A.McSmoke (Jan 9, 2013)

Leaving your humidifier out it a temporary fix, but you will eventually need to get media that is able to absorb rH. I use 65% Heartfelt in my desktop which also happens to be glasstop, but there are others.

When I add brand new sticks from the mail, the humidity goes up briefly, but is back to 64-66% within an hour or two.


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## daniels1117 (Apr 23, 2013)

So would u recommend the unscented kitty litter beads? Or just one tube of heartfelt beads?


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## daniels1117 (Apr 23, 2013)

And to be clear, your recommending the beads in addition to a regular humidifier or instead of?


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## tony (Feb 2, 2008)

go with beads. i use both beads and gel in my humi and have for 6-7 years now and it works great. try beads alone first, then add the gel and see what it does to the mix. for me it bounces back quicker after opening and closing and gives me longer times in between recharging my beads (4ish months) since the beads will absorb excess humidity from the gel. mine stays rock solid at 65, 99.9999% of the time. however, my relative humidity will be different from yours.


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## daniels1117 (Apr 23, 2013)

So the heartfelt beads then? Where's a good place to order them? Also would I use the beads in conjunction with my xikar humidifier or one or the other? Right now I have a small water pillow (removed my humidifier)in my humidor and I'm stable at 71/71.


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## tony (Feb 2, 2008)

heartfelt or some other reputable brand. ive bought Humidity Bead System® multiple times and always keep going back. great service and great beads.

i would use beads alone for a while since your problem is over humidification.


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## daniels1117 (Apr 23, 2013)

Thanks for the link. I have the xikar crystal humidifier that looks exactly like that. I used distiller water on it cause the guy at the store recommended that over PG solution. I'm wondering if what I have is a similar product... If so then why is my humidity spiking when I put the humidifier in my humidor. On the box of the xikar it even says, absorbs and releases humidity to maintain the perfect 70%humidity. Maybe I overcharged it when I bought it? I really don't know at this point.


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## A.McSmoke (Jan 9, 2013)

I know the Xikar crystal is supposed to absorb humidity, and I'm sure it does because they make decent products. I just doubt that it absorbs as well as the Heartfelt beads. Many more people here on Puff are using HF and not Xikar humidification. 

Now cutters and torches, Xikar takes the win.

I think you are at a place now where you're gonna have to make a decision if you want to continue with your Jar, wait it out and see if the rH is stable in the next few days, or experiment with a new product. That's part of the fun of the hobby for me. If you don't plan to buy a large amount of cigars soon, you have some time for trial...and catch the error


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## gsantarelli1 (Dec 13, 2011)

I used to use Xikar exclusively, now I use Heartfelt beads. I also use Paradigm units to boost humidity and introduce more water to the humi's if needed. In my experience, the Xikar gel adds too much humidity, especially in the summer.


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## daniels1117 (Apr 23, 2013)

How much of the heartfelt beads would u recommend for a 100ct ish humidor? My RH is stabilized now with just the water pillow inside and the xikar out but.... I would like to not have to constantly check and have heard HF beads are the way to go.


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## gsantarelli1 (Dec 13, 2011)

I figure the interior dimensions would be 14x9x6 -ish? I'd go with a half pound. I have a 250ct I have a pound and a half in. That might sound like a lot, but more than they recommend works better. It gives more room for moisture storage and less time recovering after opening the lid.


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## daniels1117 (Apr 23, 2013)

Yea that's exactly right on the dimensions. Just but the bare beads? Or the tube? If I get the beads than what do I put them in?

Any experience with the kitty litter beads? I hear they are a less expensive alternative


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## daniels1117 (Apr 23, 2013)

Also do you recommend 65% or 70 %?


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## tony (Feb 2, 2008)

daniels1117 said:


> Also do you recommend 65% or 70 %?


read this: 65% or 70% RH, Which to Choose?

i switched to 65 and couldnt be happier. however, its all about personal preference.

as far as buying the beads by themselves or in a container, it really depends on your setup. most of us gutted the plastic container that housed the green florist foam and replaced the foam with beads. however, if you dont have one of these then you should buy a container set.


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## WilsonRoa (Dec 20, 2010)

daniels1117 said:


> Yea that's exactly right on the dimensions. Just but the bare beads? Or the tube? If I get the beads than what do I put them in?
> 
> Any experience with the kitty litter beads? I hear they are a less expensive alternative


Kitty Litter and the HF Beads work in the same manner. Its mainly preference at that point. Some will prefer one over the other. I personally use KL. The thing with KL is that if you suck too much moisture out then you can spray some distilled water on it and the rH will rise. If the rH is too high then put in dry KL and it'll bring it back down. If you see that it stabilized at a higher rH then just add more dry KL. Thats just my take on it. You can't go wrong with either one.


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